Marijuana Branding is Easy, Gupta Kush Shows!

Earlier this month, famous television doctor Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN, switched positions on pot and apologized for swallowing a government lie claiming cannabis has no medical value whatsoever. Pot lovers rejoiced and supporters of science as a body of knowledge acquired from observational testing rather than third-party political rhetoric breathed a sigh of relief.

And then, a pot seller in Colorado named a strain of weed after the good doctor, ostensibly to celebrate his reformation, like a cannabis christening is the natural baptism rite for reborn prohibitionists of public persona. But also—and this might come as a surprise to the uninitiated—renaming cannabis is a good way to increase sales on slow-moving strains.

True story: Back in the late ’90s I helped many Washington state medical cannabis activists with computer stuff—connectivity, email, web sites, that sort of thing. A novice pothead at the time, I had no real idea of the plant’s value, but on occasion, in lieu of cash I’d score a small handful of grass. One time I looked down at the couple grams of pot and, inspired, asked what strain it was.

With a half-second pause the giver said with a smile, “It’s Honeybee.”

“Did you just make that up?” I asked, amused though confused.

Another half-second pause then a full admission: “Yes.”

The fact was they didn’t know what that pot was. There’s always a reason: pot growers accidentally mislabel or mix up plants on occasion, sometimes pot comes from unknown places, or maybe the marker wiped off the turkey bag in which it was sealed. Ultimately, people want pot with memorable names in addition to memorable smells, tastes, and highs, so pot purveyors give the people what they want.

But that ganja giver wasn’t trying to upsell me no-name weed, rather doing my simple marijuana mind a favor, shielding me from the reality of the cannabis industry like it’s a Chicago sausage factory and they’re serving franks. For the marketing minded, renaming cannabis is a surprisingly simple way to sell more pot at higher prices. If the Willie’s Wonder isn’t selling, just call it something else—hell, call it something well-known like Blue Dream or OG Kush and someone can move it.

This is the future of cannabis branding, the same as its not-too-secret past. But future pot sellers will be much more brazen. Would-be cannabis branding conglomerate Diego Pellicer jumped into the game with clear intentions of turning already-named pot into massive brand names. Another outfit called Prohibition Brands announced similar recently. (Interestingly, a Prohibition Brands guy was booted from Seattle Hempfest this year on order of a Diego Pellicer guy.)

Side note: I don’t fully understand why these particular brand builders think spanish-inspired names will help sell cannabis in Colorado and Washington. Diego Pellicer started their media barrage with a list of names including “Diego Reserva,” “Isla de Cebu,” and “Seleccion Armada” while Prohibition Brands hopes to sell Marlboro-inspired “Marijuanarettes” and leaf-wrapped blunts called “La Cubana.”

But regardless, these companies illustrate the point: branding and re-branding cannabis is super easy, and it can earn your business a surprising amount of media coverage. And if you currently sell cannabis, picking a popular pot name can also significantly increase sales. What’s this pot named? Well, my friend, what name do you prefer?

Smell The Truth

Smell The Truth is one of the internet's most popular destinations for cannabis-related news and culture. This blog is not written or edited by SFGate or the San Francisco Chronicle. The authors are solely responsible for the content.